This invention relates to an improvement of a connector which comprises a terminal lock member which is inserted in the middle portion of a connector housing in addition to flexible lock arms provided in terminal accommodating chambers formed in the connector housing.
FIG. 10 shows a conventional connector with a terminal double-lock mechanism. In order to prevent terminals from inadvertently being displaced rearwardly, a primary locking flexible lock arm (not shown) is, in general, provided in each of terminal accommodating chambers b formed in a connector housing a. In order to increase the number of poles of the connector, or in order to miniaturize the connector, the flexible lock arm is limited in dimension, and accordingly its terminal holding force is not so large. In order to overcome this difficulty, a terminal lock member c is provided to double-lock the terminals.
That is, a cavity d is formed in one outer wall a: of the connector housing a in such a manner that it is extended across the terminal accommodating chambers b, and the terminal lock member c is inserted into the housing through the cavity d thus formed so that terminal locking portions c.sub.2 formed in openings c.sub.1 of the terminal lock member c are engaged with the terminals, thereby to double-lock the terminals together with the flexible lock arms.
In the conventional connector with the double lock mechanism as shown in FIG. 10, the terminal lock member c has two flexible locking arms d.sub.1 and d.sub.2 on the outer surface of each of the right and left side walls c.sub.3 and c.sub.3, to lock the terminal lock member c to the connector housing a. The flexible locking arms d.sub.1 and d.sub.2 are both externally exposed, and are therefore liable to be deformed or damaged by external force. Furthermore, the presence of the locking arms results in an increase in width of the terminal lock member c, thus making the connector itself bulky as much.
In view of the foregoing, an object of this invention is to provide a connector in which locking members such as the above-described flexible locking arms of the terminal lock member which is engaged with the connector housing are not readily deformed by external force, and the terminal lock member is prevented from increasing in width, which contributes to miniaturization of the connector.